Billy Tyler
Contributing Writer
The men’s cross country team capped off its season with a solid performance at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships hosted by Penn State on Nov. 9. Working through the loss of several key team members due to injury, the Bison finished the event in 13th place out of the 25 team field.
The Bison were once again led by John Dugan ’15, who has consistently been one of the team’s top performers throughout the season. Dugan finished the 10-kilometer race in a time of 30:57, placing him first on the team and 20th overall. This solid performance earned Dugan All-Region honors. Andrew Garcia-Garrison ’15 was the second Bison to cross the finish line, with a time of 31:31 and a 47th place finish.
“[Dugan] ran great all season and really led the team in every workout, and that really showed and paid off with his all-region selection,” Garcia-Garrison said. “It was my first 10k, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was happy with my time and place.”
In addition to Dugan and Garcia-Garrison, several other members of the Bison ran strong races at regionals. Finishing closely behind Garcia-Garrison, in third place for the team, was Charles Seigneur ’13, who posted his best performance ever in his final race in his collegiate career with a time of 32:09 and a position of 63rd place.
“Having my last and also best ever race at the NCAA Regionals was a great way to top off what has been a successful breakout senior season,” Seigneur said.
Also scoring for the Bison were David Strauss ’14, who finished in 98th place with a time of 32:47, and Eric Balaban ’14, who finished in 101st place with a time of 32:54.
Georgetown won the event with an overall score of 56, besting second-place Villanova by just one point. The top individual finisher was Travis Mahoney of Temple, who finished with a time of 30:23.85.
Overall, the runners and head coach Kevin Donner were pleased by the team’s performance at the NCAA Regionals and in the season in general. The young team also has high hopes for the future and is optimistic about the team’s chances in upcoming seasons.
